Obviously, the best thing about pregnancy is the reward of a beautiful baby. Once baby finally arrives, one of the worst things about pregnancy is coping with the aftermath of what growing a baby inside your uterus for 9 months has done to your body.
I gained 50 lbs while pregnant with Charlie. I had no idea how big I was until I looked at pictures. I could not believe my eyes. I am sure bed rest didn’t help with the weight gain: thanks friends (Stacia) for bringing me a dozen donuts (more than once) while trapped in bed for two months. Luckily for me, I felt like I looked like million bucks. That is, until Charlie arrived. Then I felt like a cow who was too small for her cute pregnancy clothes and waaaaay to large for her cute pre-pregnancy clothes. And so began months of living in sweats…
Once I was cleared to exercise, I decided to try Stroller Strides at my local park. Stroller Strides – sounds easy right? That’s what I thought. I was wrong.
Stroller Strides should change its name to Stroller Kick-Your-Ass Boot-Camp. Georgia, the instructor in my area, has 2 kids of her own so totally understands if and when you need to pause to take care of baby or because your body is not cooperating. That being said, her work outs are no joke. Don’t worry, she modifies them for moms who are just beginning to exercise or have an injury (like a bad back or weak shoulders). The beauty of the program is that it’s not just tailored to moms with infants, either. There are many moms who come with their 1, 2 or 3 year olds (or even multiple kids). It was so easy to do with an infant that I would attend 3 times a week. My husband would even join on Saturday mornings. I think he went the first time just to appease me. I kept asking him to come and promised he would get a great workout in. He was not prepared for the workout he received on his first Saturday. He goes to the gym 3 – 4 days a week for a pretty intense workout, yet Georgia’s class left him sore for 3 days. It was so much fun to work out as a family and with other families too. The program is great because you get your hour work out in, but don’t need to find a sitter for the baby.
I was religious about attending Stroller Strides from April through August of 2010. Charlie turned 6 months old in August and his nap schedule changed to smack dab in the middle of the class. Sadly, my love affair with Stroller Strides came to a temporary close. It does seem that Charlie’s nap schedule is shifting again. I don’t really know what to expect with each day, but last Monday his nap ended 10 minutes before class. I had been waiting for this moment for months. I literally grabbed Charlie, buckled him in his car seat and booked it to Stroller Strides. My memory did not deceive me. Georgia kicked my butt, again!
I am finally almost at my pre-pregnancy weight, just 2 lbs to go. It is nice to wear cute clothes again and dare I say, feel pretty. I attribute much of that weight loss to Stroller Strides.
A note though for new moms… layer your bras, especially if you are breast feeding. If you’ve got big post pregnancy boobs you are going to need to tie those suckers down. Also, it takes a while for bladder control to take effect once you have a baby so wear a panty liner or jumping jacks are gonna be your worst enemy. TMI? Probably. But you’ll thank me for the tip later.
If you live in the San Fernando Valley, you should totally check out Georgia’s class. Here’s a link to the meetup group she uses to notify moms of classes and to rsvp.
If you live anywhere else, you should still check out Stroller Strides. I promise, if the other instructors are even half as amazing as Georgia you are guaranteed a great workout.
